Rubbish carrying hand cart



Jan. 1968 c. F. ZEILSTRA ET AL 3,366,397

RUBBISH CARRYING HAND CART' 2 sheets sheet l Filed May 9, 1966 24 .g fru'en 2 0115" Jan. 30, 1968 c. F. ZEILSTRA ET AL 7 3,366,397

RUBBISH CARRYING HAND CART 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 9. 1966 fizxenforsE an/es United States Patent 3,366,397 RUBBISH CARRYING HAND CARTCharles F. Zeilstra and Carol R. Zeilstra, both of 9950 Chaucer Ave.,Westchester, Ill. 60153 Filed May 9, 1966, Ser. No. 548,656 4 Claims.(Cl. 280-4716) The present invention relates to a new and improvedrubbish carrying hand cart.

Scavenger services for the removal of rubbish and garbage have, likemost other businesses, been undergoing changes. In certainmunicipalities the city performs their own rubbish pick-up. In othercommunities private scavenger companies are granted the scavengingconcession and the residents and commercial occupants buy their rubbishpick-up service. The conditions under which rubbish is picked up variesfrom community to community. However, all of the scavenging companiesuse large power driven trucks into which the rubbish is dumped andremoved from the premises. In many instances the scavenger workmen arerequired to carry full rubbish cans to the truck on the street and dumpthe can contents into the truck. The distances travelled by the workmenin carrying the cans varies. In some places he would be required to walkinto a subscribers yard, find the cans, and thence carry the cans to thetruck which is parked some distance away. In other instances thesubscriber is required to move his rubbish to the curb where it islifted by the scavenger workmen and dumped into the large rubbishreceiving truck with a minimum of walking. The present invention isconcerned with a device to ease the difiiculty of scavenger workmenwalking with heavy loads.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a novelrubbish cart for use by scavenger workmen and others in the transportingof rubbish from a place of deposit by a building occupant to a largerubbish receiving truck parked some distance away.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of a novelrubbish carrying cart in which rubbish may be successfully carried bythe cart either within another container or loose as desired.

A further important object of this invention is to provide novel cartmeans for carrying rubbish in which the cart may be conveniently rolledon wheels over suitably paved walks and driveways and may be furtherconveniently carried over places not suitable for wheeled cart use.

A still further important object of this invention is to equip a novelrubbish carrying cart with stable support means during a time whenrubbish is loaded therein and effectively counter-balanced during a timewhen the cart is rocked from its stable support means for convenientmovement of the loaded cart.

Another and still further important object of this invention is tosupply a novel rubbish carrying cart with a molded body having a handgripping portion at the bottom thereof and a handle at the top thereoffor ease in lifting and dumping the rubbish contents by an operator whenhe simultaneously engages both the hand gripping portion at the bottomof the cart and the handle at the top of the cart.

Still another important object of this invention is to provide a novelrubbish carrying cart having an effective three point base in which twoof the points are wheels and the wheels are recessed in complementarynotches in the sides, back and bottom of the cart.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of a novelmolded rubbish cart having a particular arrangement of integrally formedribs for reinforcement and to maintain the desired cart configuration.

3,366,397 Patented Jan. 30, 1968 A still further important object ofthis invention is to provide a novel rubbish carrying cart having amolded body with integrally formed V-shaped ribs on the sides thereofwith the V apices located near the bottom and including a separatelyformed bail-like handle in which the side arms of the handle arefastened to the sides of the cart in abutting relationship with one ofthe V-shaped ribs whereby the cart and its handle are sturdilyconstructed.

A further important object of this invention is to supply a novelrubbish removal cart with a molded body having a bottom with an axlemolded therein, spaced apart and transversely aligned wheels on theouter ends of the axle within notches provided in the cart adjacent bothends of the axle, and a flat centrally disposed and slightly forwardlydisposed portion lying in a plane including the lower edges of thewheels.

Other and further important objects and advantages of this inventionwill become apparent from the disclosures in the following specificationand the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the rubbish carrying cart of thisinvention. It

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the cart of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view of the cart of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the cart of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of the cart of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view through the cart taken on the line 6-6 ofFIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view detail of a portion of the bottomof the cart as shown in FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged sectional view detail of a portion of the carttaken on the line 88 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken transversely through thebottom of the cart on the line 99 of FIGURE 4.

As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates generally the molded body of therubbish carrying cart of this invention. The body may be made of any oneof many suitable materials including various plastics and fibreboards.Preferably the body should be a lightweight, tough and durable materialwhich will have yieldable characteristics to permit a small degree ofdeformability of the cart and yet one which will resume its molded shapeafter discharging a load.

The molded body 10 has a bottom 11, a back 12, a front 13 and spacedapart generally parallel sides 14 and 15. As best shown in FIGURE 5 thebottom has a transversely extending hand gripping recessed portion 16located adjacent the rear juncture of the bottom with the back of thecart body. The recess 16 is utilized by an operator to grip the bottomof the cart and as will be subsequently described the cart is easilylifted for dumpmg.

The bottom 11 further includes a transversely extending axle carryingportion 17 located forwardly of the hand gripping portion. As best shownin FIGURES 5, 7 and 8 the axle carrying portion includes a moldedcentral portion 18 which is substantially circular in cross section. Thebottom of the molded circular central portion constitutes an opentransverse slit 19. An axle 20, transversely disposed relative to thecart, is mounted in the circular central portion 18 and as shown in FIG-URE 7 is sufliciently large in diameter to prevent its movement throughthe slit 19. The portion 18 snugly engages a substantial portion of thecircumference of the axle whereby it is firmly held in and with thecart. Spaced outwardly of the central portion 18 and on both endsthereof there is provided under-portions 21 of the bottom 11 to supportthe underside of the axle 20. Metal reinforcing angle brackets 22 havehorizontal sides 23 which are riveted or otherwise fastened at 24 to theunder-supports 21. Vertical sides 25 of the metal brackets 22 abutgenerally parallel spaced apart walls 26 of the lower portions of thecart. These walls 26 form generally symmetrical wheel carrying notches27 on both sides of the cart. Rivets 28 or other fastening means holdthe bracket 22 tightly to each of the notch walls 26. The vertical notchwalls 26 and the vertical sides 25 of the brackets 22 are equipped withaxially aligned, horizontally disposed apertures to permit slidingpassage of the axle 20. Ground engaging wheels 29 and 30 are mounted onthe outer ends of the axle 20 within the notches 27.

The bottom 11 further includes a forwardly and downwardly inclinedportion 31 which extends from the transversely disposed axle carryingportions 17. Immediately forward of the inclined portion 31 there is anadjoining, generally flat rectangularly shaped portion 32. As best shownin the enlarged sectional view of FIGURE 9 the flat portion 32 is joinedon both lateral sides by oppositely extending upwardly and outwardlyinclined sides 33 and 34. Finally the forward edge of the bottom isequipped with metal reinforcing skids or runners 35 and 36 as shown inFIGURES 1, 5 and 6. The skids 35 and 36 are disposed in slightlydiverging directions and are each bent upwardly at their forward ends.The skids act to resist abrasion of the bottom of the cart and assumethe brunt of the cart load when the cart is standing in an uprightposition or when the cart is slid along the ground in an uprightposition. The upturned forward ends of the skids shield the bottom ofthe front of the cart and permit sliding of the cart without stubbing onany irregular pavings. The horizontally disposed portions of the skidsare riveted or otherwise fastened to the bottom of the cart as shown at36a.

The front 13 of the cart includes a lower portion 37 which adjoins theforward edge of the fiat portion 32 of the cart bottom. This lowerportion 37 is inclined upwardly and slightly forwardly. The front alsoincludes a generally centrally disposed vertical rib 38 which extendsfrom the top of the front to substantially the bottom. The rib performsthe function of reinforcing the front portion of the cart and tends tomaintain the molded shape of the front of the cart. The front 13 isprovide-d with a top rim 39 which further acts to reinforce the moldedbody of the cart and causes it to retain its original formed shape.

As best shown in FIGURES 1 and 6-, the sides 14 and 15 of the cart body10 are substantially symmetrical and have V-shaped outwardly formed orraised reinforcing ribs 40. These V-shaped ribs tend to keep the desiredshape of the molded body. The V-shaped ribs include rear arms 41extending diagonally from the upper rear edges of each side of the cartto the lower forward edges of each side of the cart. The V-shaped ribsinclude front arms 42 which are inclined in the opposite direction tothat of the rear arms and tend to parallel the inclined front wall 13.However, the rib arms 42 are not in true parallelism with the front wallbut rather act to brace the sides of the cart from the upper forwardedge to the lower rearward edge of both sides. The sides 14 and 15 ofthe cart include wheel notches 43 at the lower rear portions of bothsides which act to complement the bottom wheel notches 27. The sides 14and 15 are provided with top rims 44 and 45 respectively which arecontiguous with the top rim 39 of the front 13 of the cart.

As best shown in FIGURES 1, 3 and 6 the back wall 12 of the cartincludes a generally horizontally disposed outwardly formed or raisedrib 46 extending across the back at a position spaced below the top butat a position nearer the top than the bottom. The raised rib 46 acts toreinforce the cart back in the same manner as the ribs on the front ofthe cart and the sides of the cart tend to retain the molded shape ofthe cart. Wheel notches 47 are provided at the lower outside corners ofthe back which further complement the wheel notches 27 and 43' toprovide ample room for the free rotation of the ground engaging wheels29 and 30 within the outer confines of the molded body of the cart. Thisspecification has defined the bottom as having notches 27, the sides ashaving notches 43 and the back as having notches 47. These notchestogether form a pair of spaced apart three-dimensional notches toreceive the wheels 29 and 30. The back 12 includes a top rim 48 whichlies in the same general horizontal plane with the top rims 39, 44 andas previously described for the front and the two sides of the cart. Allof the top rim portions form an endless perimeter. The top rim serves toreinforce the body and permit full loading of the cart with rubbish orthe like without material distortion of the lightweight molded body.

The bottoms of the wheels 29 and 30 lie substantially in the plane ofthe flat portion 32 of the bottom so that the cart is stable whenstanding in an upright position on its generally three-pointed footingas defined by the flat bottom 32 at the front center and the spacedapart wheels 29 and 30 at the rear and sides of the bottom of the cart.This construction makes it possible for the cart to be loaded whilethere is no movement of the cart or any tendency toward movement of thecart by reason of the ground engaging wheels 29 and 30 rolling on apavement. It is not until the cart is rocked or tilted rearwardly aboutthe axle 20 as a hinge that the cart becomes effectively wheel mountedand capable of easy transportation.

A handle 49 having a bail or U-shape is provided with parallelspaced-apart side arms 50 and 51. The arms 50 and 51 are preferablydisposed in abutting relationship to the rear diagonal arm 41 of theV-shaped reinforcing ribs on each side of the molded cart. Rivet orother attaching means 52 provide the attaching means for the handle 49to the cart body 10 by reason of their passing through the arms 50 and51 and into the sides 14 and 15 of the cart. The handle 49 includes ahand gripping portion 53 which is disposed generally transversely of thecart and provides the means for a user to engage the cart and cause thecart to be rocked about its wheels and then transported. The handgripping portion 53 also provides one gripping location for the operatorwhen the cart is to be lifted and dumped.

The operation of the rubbish carrying cart of this invention may bevaried depending upon the job to which the cart may be put. However, innormal usage, the cart will be wheeled by scavenger workmen by engagingthe handle 49 and rocking the cart about its wheels 29 and 30 and thenpushing the cart on its wheels to a position where it is close to theside of a buildings rubbish cans or trash containers. The workman thensets the cart in its upright position where, as previously explained, itremains stable during the time rubbish from the buildings containers aredeposited into the cart. Now, with a full cart the workman again tiltsthe cart about its wheel axle 29 as a central pivot and the cart ispulled or pushed to the site of a large power driven rubbish receivingtruck which is usually left on the street in front of or to the rear ofthe building being serviced. When the workman reaches the truck hethereupon stands the cart in its upright position and grips the handle49 with one hand and with his other hand grips the transverse recess 16at the bottom and rear of the cart and either lifts or slides the cartup on the back end of the truck and dumps the rubbish contents into thetruck. The inclined front wall 13 and its outwardly formed, generallyvertically extending rib 38, constitute a rail-like means on which thecart is slid up onto the receiving truck for easy dumping.

In an alternative form of the invention a cover 54 may be used toenclose the top opening of the cart. This optional cover 54 includes acentrally disposed handle 55, a generally top surface plate 56 and aperipheral skirt 57 depending from the plate 56 to flank the continuoustop rim of the cart formed around the top of the cart as shown at 39,44, 45 and 48.

As shown in FIGURE 6, applicant contemplates an optional positioning ofthe cart handle. FIGURE 6 shows such an optional handle 58 in dashlines. The handle 58 is positioned so that its parallel spaced apartside arms 59 lie parallel with the ground line when the cart is upright.The side arms 59 are riveted at 60 to the side walls 14 and 15 of thecart close to the top rims 44 and 45 of the side walls. The handle 58 isprovided with a transversely disposed handle gripping portion 61comparable to the handle gripping portion 53 of the handle 49. Thisoptional positioning of the handle provides for a closer spacing of thespaced apart hand gripping elements which a user employs in the liftingof the cart for dumping its contents. The positioning of the handlewould depend on the size of the scavenger workmen using the cart. Thetaller men would probably prefer the wider spacing of the hand grippingelements and conversely the shorter men would prefer the closer spacingof the hand gripping elements. Both the preferred form of the handle andthe optional handle give added rigidity to the cart by reason of thefurther bracing of the molded side walls 14 and 15 of the cart.

We are aware the numerous details of construction may be variedthroughout a wide range without departing from the principles disclosedherein, and we therefore do not propose limiting the patent grantedhereon otherwise than as necessitated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A rubbish carrying hand cart comprising a molded body having a bottoma back a front and generally parallel sides said bottom including agenerally hand gripping recessed portion adjacent the rear juncture ofthe bottom with the back,

an axle carrying portion located forwardly of the hand gripping portion,

a downwardly and forwardly inclined portion extending forwardly from theaxle carrying portion,

a generally flat portion adjoining the lower forward edge of theinclined portion,

said bottom having a wheel notch disposed adjacent each of the generallyparallel sides and each wheel notch extending through the hand grippingrecessed portion, the axle carrying portion and at least a part of thedownwardly and forwardly inclined portion,

said generally flat portion having upwardly and outwardly inclinedsides,

said front including a portion adjoining the forward edge of said flatportion of said bottom inclined upwardly and slightly forwardly,

a top rim,

a generally centrally disposed vertically extending rib in said frontextending from the top rim to substantially the bottom, said gene-rallyparallel sides including portions adjoining the side edges of saidhotand the front and back of said molded body,

said sides terminating at their upper edges in a top rim continuous withsaid top rim of the front,

said sides having wheel notches complementing the wheel notches in thebottom of said molded body,

and said sides each having a V-shaped rib between the top rim and thebottom,

said back including a portion adjoining said bottom at the rear edgethereof and extending upwardly,

a top rim at the upper edge of said back portion, said back top rimbeing continuous with the top rims of the front and sides,

and said back having wheel notches in the lower outsides thereofcomplementing the wheel notches of the bottom and sides,

a transversely disposed axle fixedly mounted in said axle carryingportion of said bottom and having the axle ends projecting into thecomplementary wheel notches of the bottom, sides and back of the moldedbody,

a ground engaging wheel mounted on each end of the axle and confinedwithin the complementary wheel notches of the bottom, sides, and back ofthe molded body, the bottoms of said ground engaging wheels lying insubstantially the same plane as the fiat .portion of the bottom of thebody,

a cart handle extending rearwardly of the molded body of the cart andhaving side arms flanking the generally parallel sides of the moldedbody, and

means attaching said handle side arms to the parallel sides of the cart,whereby a user may deposit rubbish in the cart and move the cart on itswheels to the site of a receiving truck and thereupon dump the rubbishcontents of the cart into the receiving truck.

2. A hand cart as defined in claim 1 in which each of the side arms ofthe handle abut the rear arm of the V-shaped rib on each of saidgenerally parallel sides.

3. A hand cart as defined in claim 1 in which there is includedreinforcing skids under the flat side of the bottom, and said skidsupturned adjacent the front of said cart for a short distance.

4. A hand cart as defined in claim 1 in which there is included spacedapart reinforcing metal angle brackets having horizontally disposedfaces riveted to the bottom of the cart at opposite ends of the axlecarrying portion, and having vertical faces riveted to the inner sidesof the wheel carrying notches, and said vertical faces having axiallyaligned openings therein to receive the axle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,409,786 10/1946 Norton280-47.26 2,817,538 12/1957 Romang 28047.26 3,292,942 12/ 1966 Mitty etal 280-47.26

LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner.

L. D. MORRIS, J A i t t x min r.

1. A RUBBISH CARRYING HAND CART COMPRISING A MOLDED BODY HAVING A BOTTOMA BACK A FRONT AND GENERALLY PARALLEL SIDES SAID BOTTOM INCLUDINGGENERALLY HAND GRIPPING RECESSED PORTION ADJACENT THE REAR JUNCTURE OFTHE BOTTOM WITH THE BACK AN AXLE CARRYING PORTION LOCATED FORWARDLY OFTHE HAND GRIPPING PORTION, A DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY INCLINED PORTIONEXTENDING FORWARDLY FROM THE AXLE CARRYING PORTION, A GENERALLY FLATPORTION ADJOINING THE LOWER FORWARD EDGE OF THE INCLINED PORTION, SAIDBOTTOM HAVING A WHEEL NOTCH DISPOSED ADJACENT EACH OF THE GENERALLYPARALLEL SIDES AND EACH WHEEL NOTCH EXTENDING THROUGH THE HAND GRIPPINGRECESSED PORTION, THE AXLE CARRYING PORTION AND AT LEAST A PART OF THEDOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY INCLINED PORTION, SAID GENERALLY FLAT PORTIONHAVING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY INCLINED SIDES, SAID FRONT INCLUDING APORTION ADJOINING THE FORWARD EDGE OF SAID FLAT PORTION OF SAID BOTTOMINCLINED UPWARDLY AND SLIGHTLY FORWARDLY, A TOP RIM, A GENERALLYCENTRALLY DISPOSED VERTICALLY EXTENDING RIB IN SAID FRONT EXTENDING FROMTHE TOP RIM TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE BOTTOM, SAID GENERALLY PARALLEL SIDESINCLUDING PORTIONS ADJOINING THE SIDE EDGE OF SAID BOTAND THE FRONT ANDBACK OF SAID MOLDED BODY, SAID SIDES TERMINATING AT THEIR UPPER EDGES INA TOP RIM CONTINUOUS WITH SAID TOP RIM OF THE FRONT, SAID SIDES HAVINGWHEEL NOTCHES COMPLEMENTING THE WHEEL NOTCHES IN THE BOTTOM OF SAIDMOLDED BODY, AND SAID SIDES EACH HAVING A V-SHAPED RIB BETWEEN THE TOPRIM AND THE BOTTOM, SAID BACK INCLUDING A PORTION ADJOINING SAID BOTTOMAT THE REAR EDGE THEREOF AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY, A TOP RIM AT THE UPPEREDGE OF SAID BACK PORTION, SAID BACK TOP RIM BEING CONTINUOUS WITH THETOP RIMS OF THE FRONT AND SIDES, AND SAID BACK HAVING WHEEL NOTCHES INTHE LOWER OUTSIDES THEREOF COMPLEMENTING THE WHEEL NOTCHES OF THE BOTTOMAND SIDES, A TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED AXLE FIXEDLY MOUNTED IN SAID AXLECARRYING PORTION OF SAID BOTTOM AND HAVING THE AXLE ENDS PROJECTING INTOTHE COMPLEMENTARY WHEEL NOTCHES OF THE BOTTOM, SIDES AND BACK OF THEMOLDED BODY, A GROUND ENGAGING WHEEL MOUNTED ON EACH END OF THE AXLE ANDCONFINED WITHIN THE COMPLEMENTARY WHEEL NOTCHES OF THE BOTTOM, SIDES,AND BACK OF THE MOLDED BODY, THE BOTTOMS OF SAID GROUND ENGAGING WHEELSLYING IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME PLANE AS THE FLAT PORTION OF THE BOTTOMOF THE BODY, A CART HANDLE EXTENDING REARWARDLY OF THE MOLDED BODY OFTHE CART AND HAVING SIDE ARMS FLANKING THE GENERALLY PARALLEL SIDES OFTHE MOLDED BODY, AND MEANS ATTACHING SAID HANDLE SIDE ARMS TO THEPARALLEL SIDES OF THE CART, WHEREBY A USER MAY DEPOSIT RUBBISH IN THECART AND MOVE THE CART ON ITS WHEELS TO THE SITE OF A RECEIVING TRUCKAND THEREUPON DUMP THE RUBBISH CONTENTS OF THE CART INTO THE RECEIVINGTRUCK.